Pull of the Wolf
by love-every-book
Summary: Being a teenage wolfblood was hard enough for Maddy Smith, before she got the biggest shock of her life. But when she learns that she is betrothed, to a partly wild wolfblood no less, her world goes spinning out of control. She refuses to accept the engagement, and searches for a way out of it, but does she really want to get rid of Rhydian Morris?
1. Chapter 1

_Maddy_

Maddy looked down at her parents faces, extremely nervous. It wasn't often that her parents told her that they needed to have a serious chat. And it was even more uncommon that they'd keep her from getting to school on a Friday morning, just to talk.

She sat down nervously at the breakfast table, her finger twitching with anxiety. Before her was a spread of her favorite foods, which was another sign that whatever news her parents had, wasn't good. They had gone all out, making pork, steak, and bacon, just for breakfast!

As much as Maddy wanted to dig into the food, she couldn't. Not until she figured out what was going on.

"Mam," she sighed, staring at her mom and dad. "Please just tell us what's going on. I'm almost a wolf now, I can handle it."

Though Maddy still hadn't had her first transformation, she felt that she was no longer a cub. Besides, she would be transforming at the next full moon.

"Madeline," her mom said, and Maddy realized it must be worse than she thought if her mom was using her full name. "We have something that we need to tell you. It's something you should have learned along time ago but-"

"Your mom and I were hoping we'd never need to discuss it with you," her dad interrupted. "Just know that you're probably going to be mad at us, and we will understand. Just try not to get too upset."

"Will you just please tell me," Maddy begged. "You're making me nervous with all this buildup."

"We're very sorry about this, Pet," her mother sighed, reaching for her hand. "The first thing you need to know about is wild wolfbloods."

"Wild wolfbloods?" Maddy exclaimed. "But I thought you said that all the other wolfbloods lived like us! Concealing themselves from the human world."

"The wild wolfbloods do keep themselves concealed from the humans, but they're very different from us," her mom explained. "They live and hunt in the wild, and they have no contact with the human world. In fact they despise it. They hate humans and they also fear them. They feel the same way about us, which makes them very dangerous."

"Is there one here?" Maddy asked. "Is that why you're telling us this?"

She sniffed the air, trying to see if she could pick up any scent that was out of the ordinary, but she found nothing.

"No, they're aren't any wild wolfbloods here," her dad responded, but he and Maddy's mom shared a secretive look. "Just let your mom finish the story."

Maddy frowned, but nodded to her parents, allowing them to continue their story. After all, she was very keen to learn what all this fuss was about.

"When you were about a year old, a pack of wild wolfbloods crossed into our territory," her mom continued. "The pack was too large, to strong for us to drive them out. We tried to reason with their leader, Alric, but he refused to listen. He said that tame wolfbloods didn't deserve these lands."

Maddy stiffened, and let out a growl. She may not run around in the wild, and fear humans, but she was anything but tame. And the thought of her family leaving Stoneybridge made her sick.

"Calm down Maddy," her dad said gently and Maddy took a deep breath.

"We were ready to leave," Maddy's mom said. "I know this is our home, but we didn't want a fight. Not with you, our little cub, at risk. So we tried to escape into the night, but Alric caught us. When he saw you, he claimed that he would take you away. He said we were unfit parents, and that we would break your inner wolf." Here Maddy's mom paused as some tears leaked down her cheeks. "We were desperate to save you, so we made an arrangement."

"Mam," Maddy whispered as fear clenched in her stomach. Her inner wolf was telling her that something was very wrong.

"Pet, I'm so sorry!" her mom cried. "But there was nothing else we could do."

"Mam please," Maddy said, biting her lip. "You're scaring me."

"We made a deal with Alric," her dad said, continuing the story since her mom seemed close to hysterics. "And we never told you about it because we've been trying to find a way to get out of it. We had hoped by the time that Alric was back we could have found a way."

"But you haven't," Maddy said softly. "You haven't found a way out of it, and now Alric is back."

Her dad nodded sadly. "We spoke with him last weekend while you were at Shannon's."

"And what was the deal you made?" Maddy asked, her stomach clenching. "Please, tell me it isn't something bad."

"Alric agreed to leave you here and leave Stoneybridge alone on one condition," her dad said. "That you would be betrothed to one of his own. A wild wolfblood."

Maddy's vision went black as she heard her dad's words. It couldn't be true! She couldn't be...betrothed. She would be spending her life with someone she'd never even met. This couldn't be happening.

Maddy's breathing started speeding up, and she felt her eyes go yellow. She knew she couldn't transform yet, but she was pretty close. She began to hyperventilate as her mind was still whirling.

"Pet," Maddy's mom reached out to her, but Maddy swatted her hand away.

"Betrothed!" Maddy screamed. "How could you do this to us! I thought I had a right to make my own choices in my life."

"We're sorry Madeline," her dad sighed. "We never wanted this for you."

"I can't let this happen," Maddy muttered, almost speaking with herself. "You can't legally betroth me, can you? It's been years since people had arranged marriages here. You can call it off, or I can run away."

"It's not like that Maddy," he mom said sorrowfully. "We've thought of everything. There was an ancient wolfblood ritual that bound you and your betrothed. There's nothing that can undo it now."

"Nothing?" Maddy pleaded, and she felt tears slip down her face as she watching her parents shake their heads.

Maddy couldn't stand it anymore. She couldn't stand being next to the people who had put her in this mess. She dashed out the door, not looking back as she ran towards the forest.

"Maddy!" she heard her mom call, but she didn't falter.

As she ran, her dark brown hair streamed out behind her. The cold morning breeze brushed past her cheeks, making her feel awake. The faster she went, the louder she felt her blood rush in her ears and the more her thoughts fell away. Finally, her mind was blank as she flew past trees and plants.

It wasn't until Maddy was completely out of breath, that she finally slowed down. She fell back against a tree, taking deep, gasping breaths as she tried to calm down.

Though the news her parents had given her was still hanging over her shoulders, she felt much better after her run.

She also felt more determined. As she had ran, her wolf had surged up inside and reminded her who she truly was. She was Maddy Smith, a wolfblood, and she was not going to let her future be decided by her parents or anyone else. Maybe they had accepted her fate, but that didn't mean she had to.

By the time Maddy had run back to her house, she had decided on her plan. Around her parents she would act fine, like she was going along with this ridiculous proposal. But any second she had, she would research and plan, trying to find a way to break free.

Before Maddy even made it to her front door, both of her parents rushed out to greet her.

"Are you alright?" her mom asked, as she pulled her into a hug. "We were so worried, but we knew you needed space."

"I'm fine, Mam," Maddy said through gritted teeth. "I'm just going to go get my things for school. I'm already late enough."

She pulled out of her mom's hug and walked past her dad as she entered the house. She knew her mom and dad would begin talking about her as soon as she left, but she really didn't care. They could talk all they wanted to.

Maddy headed up to her room, and ignored her urge to just curl up in her bed forever. Instead she got dressed for school, and grabbed her things before returning back downstairs.

"Maddy," her dad said, as she walked back into the kitchen. "Your mom and I have been taking, and we've agreed that you don't have to attend school today. We know everything we've told you is a lot to take in, so if you'd feel better staying here, we'll call and say you're sick."

Maddy really wanted to take them up on their offer, but she knew it would be better if she went to school. Right now she needed a distraction, and nothing was more distracting than school drama.

"Thanks Dad, but I'm fine," Maddy said stiffly. She pushed past him and quickly walked to the door.

"There's one more thing you should know," Maddy's mom said, making her freeze. "The boy you're betrothed to...he's coming over for dinner tonight."

Every hair on Maddy's body stood on edge as she heard what her mom said. Her stomach clenched again, and this time she felt that she might actually vomit. She wanted to scream, wanted to yell at her parents for inviting him over, but instead she remained impassive. She let herself go numb, calming down her rage.

"I'll make sure I'm here then," she said coldly, before slamming the door behind her.

Maddy ran to school, but it took her longer than usual, since she was already exhausted from her earlier jog. By the time she got there, the school day was already well in session.

"Maddy Smith," Mr. Jeffries said, and he raised an eyebrow at her as she walked into his classroom. "How nice of you to join us this fine morning."

"My parents will call you later to explain," Maddy blushed. "Our car had a flat tire."

"In that case," Mr. Jeffries responded, "take your seat."

Maddy sighed as she looked around. Her best friends Shannon and Tom were already sharing a desk, so she took a seat in an empty desk behind him.

"Where were you really?" Shannon asked, as soon as Maddy sat down. "You know I can tell when you're lying, Mads."

"Oh, leave her alone Shannon," Tom sighed. "She just got her."

Maddy smiled her thanks at Tom before turning to Shannon. "I'll tell you later, ya? I don't want any more trouble with Jeffries this morning."

Shannon frowned but nodded her agreement, before turning back to face the front of the classroom.

The rest of the hour, and for all of her classes until lunch, Maddy had tried to pay attention. Yet, all she could think about was her problem, and what would be happening that night. Who was this guy she was set to marry? Was he completely wild? Would he hate tame wolfbloods?"

She had already decided that no matter what, she was not going to like this guy. But that didn't stop her curiosity, and her mind from imagining all types of scenarios of how dinner could go.

Finally, lunch rolled around, and Maddy knew she would need a good excuse to get Shannon and Tom off her case. They had both been able to tell that something major was wrong, from the sad look on Maddy's face and from how distracted she had been.

"Spill Mads," Tom commanded, as soon as they took their seats in the cafeteria. "I can't take the suspense any longer."

"It's really nothing," Maddy replied. "I'm just a bit distracted, ya know?"

"Oh come on Maddy," Shannon laughed. "We're your best mates. You know you can't fool us."

"Okay," Maddy sighed, desperately trying to think of a good lie. "It's just that...a family friend is visiting from out of town, and I guess I'm a bit nervous."

"Seriously?" Shannon asked. "You've been worrying all day about meeting a family friend?"

"Give us a break," Maddy defended. "I've never met him before and-"

"Wait," Tom interrupted. "Him? As in a guy?"

"Yeah," Maddy said cautiously. "What about it."

"Nothing," Tom said, a little too quickly. "I was just curious. So is this guy our age?"

Shannon rolled her eyes at Tom, but she seemed interested in the question as well.

"I've never met him," Maddy responded. "But I think so."

She really really hoped that this guy was the same age as her. Not that she had any intention of marrying him, but she wanted to believe that her parents wouldn't have paired her up with someone much older or younger.

"Would you like us to come over as well?" Shannon asked. "So you're not so nervous."

"Thanked Shan," Maddy replied, smiling weakly, "but I'll be fine."

After that, her friends seemed to drop it, though they did give her curious looks throughout the rest of the day. She knew she hadn't completely convinced them, but she hoped that by the time next Monday rolled around, she'd have a better story.

The rest of the day flew by quickly, and soon she found herself approaching her front door. She opened it to the smell of meat, and her senses immediately perked up.

"Maddy," her mom smiled. "Are you feeling any better, Pet?"

"I'm fine, Mam," Maddy said sharply. "I just...do you know anything about this guy?"

"I know quite a bit about him," her mom replied. "I would have told you more this morning, but I didn't want to pile to much on ya."

"Yeah, I guess one shock at a time is bad enough," Maddy sighed.

Her and her mom sat down at the table, as her mom began talking about the wild wolfblood.

"His name is Rhydian," her mom said. "And from what I've heard, he has quite the story."

"What do you mean?" Maddy asked. "Have you met him?"

"No, but Alric was kind enough to let us in on some details," she replied. "First, Rhydian hasn't been raised by the wild wolfbloods his whole life. When he was young, he was found by humans in the forest and was put in the foster care system. It's was only recently that he rejoined his pack."

"But don't the wild wolfbloods hate humans?" Maddy asked. "Wouldn't they hate Rhydian as well?"

"I don't think Alric likes him very much," her mom said thoughtfully. "Which is probably why he's glad to get Rhydian off his hands."

"What do you mean?" Maddy asked, and her mom tensed. "Mam, what do you mean by, 'get Rhydian off his hands?'"

"Like you said, Maddy, too many shocks at once isn't good," her mom said nervously.

"Tell me," Maddy demanded, a slight growl in her voice.

"Oh alright," she sighed. "Rhydian isn't just coming to dinner tonight. He's coming to live in Stoneybridge. He's going to be living with some foster parents, and attend school with you."

"Mam!" Maddy yelled. "Why didn't you tell us this! How could you let another wolfblood live in our territory?"

"I'm just trying to do what's best for you," her mom defended. "I don't want you marrying a boy you just met. I thought if you two could learn to be friends, before your married at eighteen, it might be easier for you."

Maddy had opened her mouth to yell a reply, but she was interrupted by the doorbell. She sniffed the air, and this time she was able to catch a scent. It was definitely a wolfblood, it smelled a lot like her parents, but different in some ways.

"Oh my," Maddy's mom sighed. "That will be him."

"I haven't even changed out of my uniform," Maddy whispered, looking down at her green tie and white shirt. It wasn't that she wanted to impress him, but wolves were proud creatures. She wanted to make sure she put up a strong front when she met him.

"Get the door Maddy," her mom demanded. "I'll get the food."

"Why do I have to get the door?" Maddy whined, but her mother ignored her.

Maddy slowly crept towards the door, trying to stall as long as possible. She clenched her sweaty fists and tried to calm herself. Finally, she reached for the door, and swung it open.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank so much for everyone who reviewed. I really appreciate it. I just wanted to let you know, in order to be consistent, I plan to update one chapter every Friday, and sometimes a chapter on Tuesday as well. This chapter is a bit short, but I can promise that the chapters will get longer as the story progresses. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy.**

 _Maddy_

The first thing Maddy noticed were his bright, blue eyes, which stared down at her, with a mixture of hope and apprehension. Then, she began to notice the rest of him. Her eyes scanned him up and down, appraising him as if he were an opponent not a dinner guest.

He was tall, much taller than her, with a lean build. His blonde hair was fixed in messy spikes and he wore a slight smile on his lips. He looked to be about her age, or maybe a bit older.

"Hi," he said, finally breaking the silence between them. "I'm Rhydian."

Maddy didn't reply as she continued to stare at him. She thought he was quite handsome for a boy her age, but it didn't matter. None of it mattered, because she wasn't marrying him.

"Uh," Rhydian muttered, fidgeting awkwardly. "Could I maybe, come inside?"

"You smell like my parents," Maddy blurted out.

She didn't know why she had said it, and if she wasn't still standing in front of him, she would have smacked herself in the head. It was just the first thing that had come to her mind, and it just kind of...spewed out.

"I should think so," Rhydian replied, a small smile now gracing his lips. "After all, we are the same species."

Maddy tried to smile back at him, but it came out as more of a grimace. She stepped to the side allowing Rhydian to enter into her house.

She still couldn't believe how surreal this whole situation was. Before this morning she was just a normal teenage girl (except for the whole wolfblood thing) and now she was betrothed to this guy. Under different circumstances her and Rhydian might have become friends, or even more, but there was no way that was happening now. She wanted this boy out of her life!

"Rhydian!" Maddy's mom called as she exited the kitchen. "It's so good to finally meet you!"

"Yeah, you too Mrs. Smith," Rhydian replied. "Thank you for having me in your home."

She watched as her mom gave Rhydian an appraisal of her own, before shaking his outstretched hand.

"Dinner's on the table," her mom continued. "I'm just very glad you could make it. I think getting to know each other will benefit...everyone in this situation."

"Sure," Rhydian muttered slightly awkwardly.

Both he and Maddy followed her mom into the kitchen. After Rhydian had been introduced to her dad, they sat down and began to eat.

Rhydian ate like it was his last night on earth. He scarfed down his food, with a piece of meat in each hand. When he had noticed the strange looks he was getting, he had explained that his new foster parents were vegetarians and he hadn't had any meat since he arrived.

Throughout dinner, Maddy's parents asked Rhydian boring questions about his interests and his life, and he gave equally dull responses. Maddy noticed that her parents were carefully avoiding any talk about being a wild wolfblood.

Throughout dinner, Maddy remained quiet. She alternated between glaring at her parents and glaring at Rhydian. She knew it wasn't Rhydian's fault, but he seemed almost okay with the idea of their union.

"I think Dan and I can manage the dishes," Maddy's mom said, once dinner was done. "Maddy, why don't you and Rhydian go talk in the family room?"

"I think I should help with the dishes," Maddy replied, standing up quickly. "It's only fair, since you cooked the meal."

"Oh no, you've done enough for today," her dad said. "You cubs can just go relax."

Maddy sighed, and muttered something incomprehensible under her breath, before leading Rhydian to the family room. They sat as far apart as possible, with him on the sofa and her in a chair, and neither of them said anything. Maddy was pleased that now that they were alone, Rhydian seemed just as nervous as she was.

"I-" Rhydian finally said, but he was immediately cut off by Maddy.

"I'm not marrying you," Maddy said furiously. "I don't know what claim you think you have over me, but you're wrong. My parents made that deal, but not me. I never agreed to any of this."

Rhydian looked at her with a shocked expression, his mouth parted as he stared. Maddy wasn't sure what he was thinking, but she didn't soften the glare she was giving him.

"Maddy," he finally said softly. "I know this must be a shock to you. I mean, it's still a shock to me and I found out months ago."

"You found out months ago!" Maddy exclaimed. "Why is it that I only learned about it this morning?"

"This morning?" Rhydian asked, with a look of pity and surprise. "I had no idea you hadn't heard before. If I had I would have waited-"

"Yeah, well now you know," Maddy cut him off. "But I would be fine if you left now."

She knew she was being rude, but she couldn't help it! Rhydian was the one who was standing between her and her freedom!

She watched as black veins spread across Rhydian's neck, but he closed his eyes and they soon receded.

So he has a bit of a temper, Maddy thought. Good to know.

"Maddy," Rhydian tried again, his voice calm. "I know you must be angry, but this isn't the worst arrangement ever. You can still be with whoever you want up until your eighteen. That's three years from now. Surely, you'll get used to it by then."

"I'm sorry if I didn't make myself clear, _Rhydian_ ," Maddy said in a mocking tone. "I have no intention of ever 'getting used to it' because I have no attention of ever marrying you!"

"This is about more than us!" Rhydian sprang up from the sofa, and he was glaring now to. "Our union could create a bond between tame and wild wolfbloods. We could bring the two together, show that we're not enemies. Wouldn't this marriage be worth it, if that was the result?"

"A bond?" Maddy questioned. "My parents were coerced into making this agreement. They were threatened. There will never be a bond."

"But there could be," Rhydian insisted. "If we just show them."

"So you want us to sacrifice my life for the good of wolfbloods?" Maddy asked. "Well guess what? I already do that everyday, when I lie to my friends!"

Maddy hadn't even noticed when Rhydian had gotten so close, but they were now almost nose to nose, and snarling at each other. Maddy looked up into his flashing yellow eyes, and was almost startled by the passion that showed in them.

"Who wants pudding?" Maddy's dad asked happily as he walked in. He paused when he saw the two teens, still tensed and looking as if they were ready to fight each other. "I see you two are getting along well. Maybe some dessert would help?"

Maddy ignored her dad's presence and continued to glare into Rhydian's eyes, refusing to back down. It was finally Rhydian who broke away, his eyes turning back to blue as he backed away from her.

"Thank you for the offer, Mr. Smith," Rhydian spoke roughly. "But I think I'd better be on my way."

Without another word, he turned and stalked out of the house. Maddy watched as he ran past the window, and into the woods, disappearing between the trees.

"Madeline Smith!" her mother yelled as she walked out of the kitchen. "What on earth were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that I'm fifteen, and I don't want to be eating dinner with me future husband!" Maddy cried. "I don't even want to consider marriage!"

"But Rhydian was right, young lady," he father said gently. "This is about more than just you. It's about all wolfbloods."

"I hate being a wolfblood!" Maddy screamed, her temper finally getting the best of her. "I just wish I was normal!"

 _Rhydian_

Rhydian tried to calm his breathing as he ran away from the Smith's house, but it was no use. He could feel the change happening. His eyes began to turn yellow and his fingers were tingling, but there was nothing he could do to stop it.

He had learned to control his anger over the last few months, but now that brown haired she-wolf of all people had made him lose control. He wasn't sure why he had gotten so angry at her anyway. People argued and yelled at him all the time, yet when she had done it, he just couldn't take it.

He hadn't been expecting her to be happy about their arrangement. The first few months after he had learned, he had been furious. He had just been reunited with his mom and his little brother for about a month, when the pack leader, Alric, had broke the news.

He remembered he had yelled at Alric, and even tried to run away from the pack, but he hadn't been able to leave his mom. Not after he had just found a place where he belonged. And eventually he had come around to the idea. He hoped Maddy would too, once he explained everything to her.

But Maddy hadn't just been angry, she had flat out refused. She didn't want to even try to get to know him.

He knew she didn't understand what was at stake. Even her family didn't truly grasp the depth of the situation, but she should have known enough that she couldn't escape this. Neither of them could.

He just hoped he could change her mind before it was too late. For the sake of her pack, and his own.


	3. Chapter 3

_Maddy_

Maddy groaned as she heard her alarm clock blare. It was much too early in the morning to be up, yet she knew she had no choice. It was Monday, which meant she had to attend the most _magical_ place in the world. School.

She lazily got ready, going through her normal routine before heading downstairs. When she got there, she gave her dad a smile, but ignored her mom.

Since the whole "Rhydian Fiasco," her mom and her had still been at odds. Her mom was still mad that Maddy had yelled at her betrothed, and denied their engagement. Maddy's dad was trying not to pick sides, but Maddy could tell he secretly supported her. She knew he really didn't want her getting married, almost as much as she didn't.

"Bye," Maddy grumbled, after she had eaten breakfast. "I'll be home eventually."

She quickly ran to school, and spotted Shannon and Tom, waiting outside in their usual meeting spot. She walked over to see that they were having a very animated discussion.

"What going on?" Maddy asked.

"Oh, hey Mads," Shannon smiled. "How was your weekend?"

"It's was fine," Maddy replied tersely, wishing she could tell her friends what had really happened. "Now tell me what all of the fuss is about! It seems like the whole school is buzzing."

"That's because we're getting a new student," Tom grinned. "Haven't seen him yet, but I've heard he's pretty cool."

"Well, at least the K's think so," Shannon snickered, and she and Tom laughed.

Neither of them had noticed that Maddy was frozen in fear. She now remembered her mom mentioning that Rhydian would be coming to school, but she didn't think it would be so soon. And she definitely hadn't expected him to show up after the huge argument they had.

"You alright, Mads?" Tom asked, finally noticing his friend's tense stature.

"Yeah, fine," Maddy replied, putting a fake smile on. "I guess I'm just a bit tired from the weekend."

"Oh right," Shannan said as they walked to class. "How did dinner with your family friend go?"

"We didn't exactly agree on...things," Maddy answered. "But it was okay. No big deal."

"Well that was a very vague answer, and we'll be getting a lot more out of you later, yeah?" Tom asked. "But for right now, lets not be late to Jeffries's class."

Despite how worried Maddy was, she grinned up at her two best friends and linked arms with them. Maddy truly believed that when it was three of them against the world, there was nothing they couldn't accomplish. The problem was, Maddy could never introduce them to her other world, so she was all alone.

They took their seats in the same way they had last Friday, with Shannon and Tom together and Maddy at the desk behind them. It wasn't till they had already sat down, that a thought struck Maddy.

"Tom," she said, tapping his shoulder.

"Is something wrong Mads?" Tom questioned.

"Switch places with me," she said quickly. She then caught a whiff of a familiar scent traveling closer through the corridors. "Switch places with me now."

"Sorry, I didn't realize you wanted to sit with Shan today," Tom responded apologetically. "I'll make sure you two can sit together in the next class, all right?"

"No Tom-" Maddy started to say, but she was cut off as Mr. Jeffries entered the room.

"Alright everyone, take your seats," Mr. Jeffries commanded.

A hush fell over the class as another figure stepped in behind Mr. Jeffries. Rhydian was wearing a uniform, with his tie haphazardly strung around his neck, and a small frown on his face. He didn't look happy to be here. Maddy suspected that he wasn't a morning person.

Rhydian looked out towards the class, scanning his new schoolmates, and Maddy waited for him to catch her eye. Instead, his gaze passed right over her, as if she were just another person in the crowd. She wasn't sure why, but the thought of him ignoring her made her blood boil.

"We have a new student today," Mr. Jeffries announced. "This is Rhydian Morris, and he will be joining us for the rest of the year."

"Hi Rhydian," Katrina called flirtatiously, and Maddy looked to see that all of the K's were gazing up at Rhydian with heart eyes.

"Well, Mr. Morris I believe there is a free seat over there," Mr. Jeffries said, pointing to Maddy's desk.

Maddy tensed as Rhydian's eyes finally locked with her own. They stared at each other for a moment, until unlike the last time, Maddy was the first one to look away.

Maddy gazed down at her desk, refusing to look at him as he sat down beside her. He said nothing to her as he pulled out his notebook and a pencil.

As Mr. Jeffries started class, Maddy felt that she had no ability to focus. She wanted to say something to him, she just wasn't sure what. Her mind was at war between wanting to apologize to him for yelling, or yelling at him some more.

Finally, her rational side won out, and she looked up at him to see that he was already gazing at her.

"Hi," she sighed, and he raised his eyebrows at her civil introduction. "Look, I just wanted to say that I'm...I'm sorry for my behavior the other night. I was mad at me parents, and at the situation. I shouldn't have taken it out on you."

"Apology accepted," Rhydian replied, though his voice was tense. She knew that he hadn't really forgiven her yet.

"You have to understand," Maddy continued, "that for my whole life, I thought I was free to make my own future. And then I'm told that I'm betrothed, and you show up completely okay with it-"

"I'm not completely okay with it," Rhydian interrupted. "It took me months to be alright with this whole thing. I know it's hard for you, and that you'll need time to accept it. In the meantime, I think we should start to build a relationship-"

"You mean start going out?" Maddy asked, her eyes filled with anger. "Haven't you heard a word I said? I don't want this."

"No, not a relationship like that," Rhydian replied, quickly. "In fact, we don't even have to be friends. I don't really do the whole 'friend' thing. I just think that we could try to get to know each other, so we could at least have a conversation without fighting."

Maddy thought about Rhydian's proposition. On one hand, she had already decided that she would have nothing to do with him. But getting to know each other didn't seem too detrimental to her plans, in fact it might benefit them. If she could sway Rhydian to her side, and convince him to help her, she might have a better chance of getting out of this betrothal.

"Okay," Maddy finally replied, and Rhydian smiled a bit. "You can start by eating lunch with me and my friends today."

"The same friends that are desperately trying to listen to our conversation right now?" Rhydian asked, nudging his head towards Tom and Shannon.

Maddy looked to see that neither Tom, nor Shannon were paying attention to Mr. Jeffries, and we're trying to subtly lean their heads back, and listen to the conversation. Maddy knew that they wouldn't hear anything, because her and Rhydian had been talking much too quietly.

"They're my best mates," Maddy replied. "So if you want to get to know me, you'll be getting to know them as well."

It was later, at lunch, that Maddy finally received the barrage of questions she had been expecting from Tom and Shannon. They had watched carefully as her and Rhydian had sat together and talked in all of their classes, but it seemed that they hadn't wanted to say anything with Rhydian right there. But now, they had arrived to lunch, and Rhydian was nowhere in sight.

"Maddy Smith," Shannon stated as she smacked down her lunch tray onto the table. "I demand you tell us everything that's going on."

"I demand it too," Tom said. "As long as you want to tell us, that is."

Maddy sighed and looked around for Rhydian, but he was still nowhere to be seen. At least it would give her some time to talk to her friends.

"You remember that family friend we were having over for dinner?" Maddy asked, and both Tom and Shannon nodded. "Yeah, well it turned out to be Rhydian. He just moved here, and he'll be attending school with us."

"Well obviously we've realized he's attending school here," Shannon rolled her eyes. "But why didn't you tell us this morning?"

"I didn't know he was coming," Maddy replied. "He didn't mention it at dinner."

Just then, she sniffed the air and smelt Rhydian approaching. He walked into the cafeteria a moment later, looking around before smiling when he spotted Maddy.

"Is he going to sit with us?" Shannon asked, looking at him curiously.

"Yeah, if that's alright," Maddy replied. "My mam asked me to look after him."

"It's fine," Shannon sputtered. "I just thought he'd be the kind of guy to sit with Jimmy. Or maybe the three K's since they seem to like him so much."

Maddy's head immediately whipped over to see that the three K's were in fact waving and giggling at Rhydian. She felt a growl unwillingly escape her lips, and she clamped her hand over her mouth to muffle the noise.

"You okay, Mads?" Tom asked, looking at her in concern. "You look like want to murder the K's."

"I'm fine," Maddy muttered. "Just, really hungry."

Rhydian had now made it over to their table and he looked down at Maddy, smiling at her.

"Can I sit?" he asked.

"Of course," Shannon replied before Maddy could. "Take a seat."

Rhydian sat next to Maddy, and Maddy scooted over as she felt his shoulders brush against her own.

"So," Tom began with a curious look on his face as he gazed at Rhydian, "you're a friend of Maddy's family?"

"That's right," Rhydian nodded, not even hesitating to go along with story Maddy had made up. "The Smith's and my family go way back."

"And how long have you known Maddy?" Tom asked, his eyes slightly narrowed at him. "Cause we've been best mates for years."

"I just met her this Friday," Rhydian said, giving Tom a slight glare in return.

Maddy looked back and forth between the boys, confused by the tension. She knew why she was mad at Rhydian, but Tom had no reason to be. As far as she knew, they had just met.

"Well it's nice meeting you Rhydian," Shannon finally said, trying to dissolve the tension. "So, Mads, what do you say to some beast hunting tonight?"

"Uh, I don't know Shan," Maddy replied. "It's a school night, and my parents are expecting me home."

"Beast hunting?" Rhydian asked, looking between Shannon and Maddy. "What are you talking about?"

Maddy sighed as she explained to Rhydian. "Shannon believes-"

"Maddy, I don't believe," Shannon interrupted. "I know."

"Right," Maddy rolled her eyes before starting again. "Shannon _knows_ , that there is some type of beast on the moors. She's being trying to track it down, and get some proof for years."

"What type of beast?" Rhydian asked Shannon, but his eyes were focused on Maddy.

Maddy could see the wheels turning in his head, and she nodded to confirm his suspicions. The beast that Shannon thought she was hunting was indeed a wolfblood.

"I don't really know," Shannon responded. "But I know it's out there, and I know I'm going to be the first to find it!"

The rest of the school day passed quickly, and after classes, Maddy was walking outside with Tom and Shannon.

"So," Shannon said. "I know you said you weren't up to best hunting tonight, but how about burgers at Bernie's? Do you think you have time for that?"

"Um…" Maddy trailed off as her eyes scanned the school's courtyard. She spotted Rhydian, standing far away, but she could see that he was staring at her. He jerked his head as an invitation, before running towards the forest.

"I think I'll have to catch up with you later," Maddy responded. "There's something I need to do."

Without another word to her friends, she took off across the field, running towards the forest. She hoped she would be able to catch up to Rhydian before he got too far ahead.

She soon picked up his scent, and she raced through the trees with a smile on her face. She could tell that Rhydian was trying to lose her, and he had weaved around trees to try and make her mess up. But her wolf senses were keen, and she never faltered. Finally, she got to and area of trees, where Rhydian's scent ended. She looked around confused, as she was able to smell him but not see him.

Then, Maddy heard a noise behind her, and before she could blink, Rhydian jumped down from a tree and grabbed her shoulders.

"Ah!" Maddy screamed in surprise and Rhydian laughed at her.

"You really need to work on your wolf senses," Rhydian smiled. "You should have been able to find me."

"Yeah well, it's not as if I get a load of time to practice with them," Maddy defended. "I'm sure you use them all the time out in the wild."

"I did," Rhydian said, smiling as if he was remembering a fond memory. "The wild was...amazing!"

"Oh yes," Maddy said sarcastically. "I'm sure it was great. Spending time hating on humans and tame wolfbloods. What could be more fun?"

"That isn't what the wild is about," Rhydian growled. "At least not for me."

Passion shone in his blue eyes, and Maddy found herself curious to what the wild was really about to him. Even after her parents had _finally_ told her about wild wolfbloods, they hadn't been very forthcoming with details. In fact, other than knowing that they were dangerous, Maddy really knew nothing about them.

"Explain to me then," Maddy breathed, staring up at Rhydian. "Tell me what it's about."

Rhydian took a deep breath, before looking around at all the trees and wildlife. Maddy followed his gaze, staring at the sunlit forest around her.

"Just look at where you are," Rhydian said. "The trees, the fresh air, the wind. Don't you feel like you belong here?"

"Yes," Maddy murmured as if she were in a trance.

"All of this," Rhydian continued, gesturing to their surroundings. "This is what being wild is about. It's about finally belonging somewhere. Somewhere you can completely be yourself, without worrying what others think about. In the wild, you're normal."

Maddy gazed around, imaging what it would be like if Rhydian's words were true. She could run all day, her hair blowing in the wind, and no one would ever stop her. She would never have to worry about keeping secrets from her friends, because everyone would accept who she truly is. It would be paradise.

Maddy broke out of her daydreaming as she realized that everything she was thinking was wrong. The wild would never be perfect, because it would never have Shan and Tom. The wild wolfbloods hated humans, and that wasn't right.

"That sounds quite nice, Rhydian," Maddy said softly. "But I think you're forgetting all the prejudice and fear that goes along with living in the wild."

"I haven't forgotten Maddy," Rhydian sighed. "I want to fix it. That's what our union will do. When we're married we can begin to show the wild wolfbloods that we can get along with tames. And after that, they'll realize humans are okay as well!"

Maddy backed up from him, glaring. He had gone the whole day so far without mentioning their betrothal, but now that he had, Maddy remembered her mission to dislike him. She couldn't believe she had even come out here to talk with him! And they had been chasing each other through the woods, almost as if they were...friends.

"I have to go," she said sullenly, as she continued to back away from him.

Rhydian seemed to immediately notice the change in her demeanor, and sadness flickered in his eyes.

"I'll see you tomorrow then?" he asked.

"You kind of have to," Maddy replied. "Since we have class together."

Rhydian frowned, seeming displeased by her answer, but nodded his head.

"Till tomorrow then," Maddy heard him mutter, as she ran off towards her home.


	4. Chapter 4

_Rhydian_

Rhydian strolled the hallways of his new school, as he headed towards his first class. His mind was elsewhere though as he walked. He just couldn't stop thinking about the brown haired girl that he was set to marry.

Maddy...he truly didn't know what to make of her. She's was certainly fierce, one of the most fierce wolfbloods he had ever met, even out of the ones in the wild. Although her resisting their betrothal was pointless, he had to admire her determination. She was quite brave for a tame wolfblood.

But one of the problems was that she was still a tame. Although he knew that her wolf would often shine through, she tried to keep it buried. If she was going to accept their marriage, she needed to embrace the wolfblood culture. The culture that had bonded them together.

Rhydian finally spotted her, a ways down the hall. He was sure that she could sense him, but she made no move to acknowledge him. She was standing with one of her human mates. Tom, he remembered her saying.

He wasn't exactly sure how he felt about Tom. He had known right away that Tom fancied Maddy. He had reeked of jealousy when Rhydian had first joined them at lunch.

Rhydian had told Maddy that up until they were eighteen she could be with whoever she wanted. Though he didn't really know her yet, he didn't want her to miss out on teenage experiences just because of their future union. That being said, Rhydian wasn't sure he liked the idea of Maddy possibly returning Tom's feelings. It was probably just his wolf side being possessive, since he knew she was supposed to be his. But this was one times he needed to suppress his wolf, and let his human conscience rule. It certainly wasn't jealousy, since he didn't even view Maddy as a real wolf. She was still a cub, and since his first transformation, Rhydian had noticed that he didn't fancy any girls that weren't full wolfbloods.

Rhydian was about to walk over to see Maddy, when someone grabbed his arm.

"Hey, new kid," the guy who grabbed his arm said.

It was a boy with black hair, that Rhydian remembered was named Jimmy. He was flanked by two of his mates, that Rhydian couldn't recall the names of.

"What do you want?" Rhydian asked, angered that he was missing his chance to talk to Maddy before class.

"I heard you and Maddy Smith have been getting pretty close," Jimmy said loudly, smirking slightly. "Is it true?"

Jimmy had asked the question loudly enough that most of the students in the hallway had turned to watch. Rhydian even noticed that Maddy was walking closer, along with Tom.

"Even if I did, it wouldn't be any of your business, would it?" Rhydian replied coldly.

A loud "ohhh!" rose up from the crowd of students, who were now snickering amongst themselves.

"You seem like an alright guy," Jimmy continued. "So I thought It'd only be right to warn you."

"Warn me about what?" Rhydian asked.

He frowned as he could now see that Maddy had a distressed look on her face, and he could hear the her heart rate was elevated.

"Maddy Smith is a freak!" Jimmy spat, and the crowd around them laughed. "I mean, her friend Shannon is a complete nut head. She believes in mythical beasts! And have you seen the way Maddy dresses? It's as if she-"

Jimmy was cut off as Rhydian grabbed him by the collar, and slammed him into the wall. Jimmy immediately retaliated, as he shoved Rhydian off and swung his fist at him.

Jimmy and Rhydian continued to fight, as the crowd around them began to chant. Rhydian began to feel his fingers tingle, and his blood rushing through his veins. He knew he needed to stop this before it got out of control, but he couldn't. He continued to fight Jimmy, ignoring the warnings of his transformation.

Suddenly, Rhydians wolf took hold, and he realized he was going to transform right here in school. He looked down at his hands to see the black veins and he could feel his jaw changing.

Then he was being yanked out of the hallway, and pushed inside the dark room. The door was slammed behind him and he finally got a glance at who had saved him. Of course it was Maddy who had pulled him out of the hallway. Who else would it be? She was standing with her back pressed against the door, glaring at him with a furious expression on her face.

"Get yourself under control, Rhydian!" she yelled. "You can't do this! Not here."

"Maddy, I'm trying," he responded, and his words came out as a growl. "I'm so sorry."

And then, his human self completely slipped away, as he became a wolf.

 _Maddy_

Maddy hadn't expected things to spin out of control so quickly. One minute she was pushing up her mental shields, preparing herself for the embarrassment that was sure to come with Jimmy's words, and then next thing she knew, Rhydian was attacking him.

She knew as soon as Jimmy had swung a fist at him, that Rhydian would lose control. By the time she had pushed herself through the crowd and pulled him away, she knew it was too late. There was no way he would be able to calm down.

Now she was staring down at a blonde wolf, who was standing tensely and staring back at her. She knew she needed to put her anger aside right now, so she could calm him down. If Shannon or Tom walked in here while he was like this, it would all be over.

"Rhydian," she whispered reaching out her hand.

Apparently that wasn't the right thing to do, because Rhydian immediately began running around the room, knocking over shelves and supplies.

"Rhydian," she called, as her own eyes turned yellow. "Rhydian stop!"

The wolf paused, and gazed up into her own yellow eyes, as it began to growl at her. Maddy lowered herself to the ground, not once moving her eyes from Rhydian's. Rhydian sank to the floor as well, following her movements.

"I know you're in there Rhydian," she whispered, and her own eyes turned yellow. "Come back."

And just the like that, the wolf disappeared and Rhydian sat in its place. He looked confused for a second, as he looked around the destroyed room, and then his eyes found Maddy's.

"Maddy, I'm so sorry," he whispered, but Maddy just frowned.

"Save it, Rhydian," she said sadly, as she walked past him and began cleaning up.

"Here let me help," Rhydian offered, but Maddy shoved him away.

"Don't you realize what you've almost done?" she hissed. "You almost exposed yourself, exposed us, to my whole school! You could have revealed our secret."

"I'm sorry Maddy," Rhydian sighed. "I just wanted to defend you. I couldn't stand to hear Jimmy talk about you like that."

Maddy paused for a second, surprised by what he said. She had assumed that Rhydian was just out of control, but he had wanted to protect her. Still, that didn't excuse what he had done.

"Why?" Maddy asked. "Why did you have to protect me? You don't even know me."

Rhydian looked like he himself, was struggling to find the answer. He scrunched up his nose and stared at Maddy, and she blushed and looked at the floor.

"I don't know, Maddy," he said quietly. "I mean, I would never want to hear Jimmy talk about anyone like that...but I don't know. Maybe it's because we're-"

"Don't!" Maddy interrupted, before he could finish. "Please stop saying it."

"But it's true," Rhydian sighed. "Maddy, you can't just avoid the fact that we're betrothed. You have to realize that I felt the same way that you did at first. I had no choice in it either."

"Then why are you okay with it?" Maddy questioned.

"I've tried to tell you, it will be worth it if we can teach the wild wolfbloods to trust us," Rhydian replied.

Maddy sighed, still not understanding what he meant. Just because Rhydian married her, didn't mean the world would magically be fixed. One marriage wouldn't cure all the mistrust and fear that the wild wolfbloods carried.

"Rhydian, I'm not saying that I care," Maddy said. "But could you maybe explain to me what your logic is?"

Rhydian was about to respond, when the door to the dark room opened, and Shannon burst in.

"Madds!" Shannon cried. "What happened in here?"

She looked around the room which was covered in fallen shelves and papers. It looked like a tornado had ripped through the room.

Rhydian and Maddy glanced at each other, trying to come up with an excuse.

"I tripped," Rhydian said quickly. "And when I fell, I knocked over Maddy to."

"And that's how everything is this room got so messed up?" Shannon asked suspiciously.

"It was a very very disastrous fall," Rhydian replied, nodding with an expression of sorrow on his face.

Maddy couldn't help but let out a small laugh, and she covered her mouth to hide it from Shannon.

"Well, we'll have to clean up this mess later," Shannon sighed. "Class starts in five minutes. Oh and Rhydian, Mr. Jeffries is looking for you."

"Ugh," Rhydian groaned, as he walked towards the door. "I'll talk to you later Maddy?"

Maddy nodded, and Rhydian left the room after saying goodbye to Shannon.

"What is going on with you Mads?" Shannon asked, as soon as Rhydian was gone.

"What do you mean?" Maddy asked, looking anxious. "Nothing's going on."

"You've been acting so strange since Rhydian got here," Shannon sighed. "He's only been here for two days, and I already feel like I'm losing my best friend."

"Shan," Maddy said, grabbing her friend's hand. "I'm sorry you feel that way. I can promise you, you're not losing me."

"Oh really?" Shannon asked. "Then how about we go get burgers at Bernie's tonight, since you couldn't yesterday?"

"Burgers sound perfect," Maddy smiled. "But could we do it for dinner? I have to talk with Rhydian after school."

"Rhydian, Rhydian, Rhydian," Shannon teased, smirking at Maddy. "Are you sure there's not something you want to tell me?"

"What?" Maddy asked, laughing at what Shannon was implying. "Shan, I'm just trying to make him feel welcome, like my mam asked."

"Oh alright, I believe you," Shannon replied. "Come on Mads, let's get to class."

Though Rhydian eventually joined them in their classes, after receiving a lunch detention, he and Maddy didn't talk much. She really felt they she needed to focus on her best mates, so they didn't feel she was leaving them out. Also, she was still pretty mad at Rhydian for almost wolfing out.

Once school had ended though, and Maddy had said goodbye to her mates, she knew she would have to talk to Rhydian. She raced into the woods, and tracked his scent, just like she had the day before. She tracked him quicker then on Monday, and she soon found him leaning against a tree.

"Your senses are getting stronger," Rhydian smiled. "Imagine how good they'd be if you practiced tracking every day."

"I don't have time for small talk," Maddy said, as she came to stand next to him. "I'm meeting my mates in a couple of hours, and I want to go home and change first."

"So I guess I'll dive right in then," Rhydian replied, placing his hands in his pockets. "Where do you want me start?"

"Start with why our marriage would be a solution to anything," Maddy said. "And anything else you think might be important."

Rhydian sighed before beginning to tell Maddy the whole story. "As you know, most wild wolfbloods hate the human world. When I joined with my pack, after being raised by humans, they were all extremely wary of me. But eventually, after months I gained their trust. I was hoping that I would be able to teach them to trust the humans, like they trusted me. A few in the pact listened to me, but there were too many who disagreed. They said they only put their faith in me because I was born wild. I had never been tame in the first place."

"Are you?" Maddy asked, interrupting his story. "Are you truly wild?"

"Of course not," Rhydian scoffed. "Trust me, Maddy, if you met a real wild wolfblood, you'd consider me one of the tamest wolves in the world."

"I highly doubt that," Maddy replied, but a smile had formed on her face as well.

"Anyway," Rhydian continued. "I had accepted that I wouldn't be able to change their minds, and that's when I finally learned about our marriage agreement."

Maddy tensed, obviously uncomfortable with the topic, but she nodded at Rhydian, letting him know it was alright to continue.

"I was so angry," Rhydian resumed his story. "I even threatened to leave the pack."

"Would leaving the pack break off our betrothal?" Maddy asked eagerly, hope flaring in her chest.

"No, Maddy," Rhydian sighed, seeming exasperated with her. "I've already told you, nothing can break the deal. When I first learned about it, I tried to research it myself, but it's useless."

"I'll find a way," Maddy declared determinedly, and Rhydian just rolled his eyes at her.

"After I realized that their was _no use_ in denying it, I began to realize what our union could do for our pack," Rhydian said. "Most of the pack isn't even willing to try and trust humans or tame wolfbloods. They won't go near them. But I realized that if we were married, then they'd have to get to know you. Once they learned to trust you, someone who was raised completely in the human world, they might be more open to trying. I know it won't fix everything, but it's certainly a start."

He sighed at the end of his story, looking up at Maddy with hope shining in his bright eyes. He was obviously very passionate about this, merging the two worlds he grew up in together, and Maddy could actually see his reasoning. But she couldn't let her sympathy for his cause interfere with her plans. Especially after what she had just realized.

"So let me get this strait," Maddy said. "I'm going to join your wild pack, and then they will begin to trust me?"

"Yeah, I guess that's a simple way of putting it," Rhydian shrugged.

"So after we get married I'd go live with your family, not the other way around."

"Well I am the husband," Rhydian shrugged.

Maddy's eyes flashed with anger, but Rhydian didn't realize what he had said was wrong. She tried to calm herself down, but she couldn't stop her next outburst.

"Do you realize what you're asking us?" Maddy questioned. "You're telling me that I have to leave my own pack, and my home behind, just for your stupid plan! This is worse than just marrying you!"

"I've here right now, with you, because I left my pack behind," Rhydian defended. "It's not like it was easy for me to just leave the wild and come here."

"Yeah, but you had a choice!" Maddy exclaimed, and Rhydian flinched. "Not to mention, I don't want you here."

"But Maddy-"

"Rhydian, I'm sorry," Maddy sighed, interrupting him. "I just feel that you deserve the truth. And the truth is, I'm not going to stop looking for a way to get out of our marriage until the day I say 'I do.' And if you and my parents are right, and there is no way out of it, then I guess will be seeing a lot of each other when we turn eighteen. But until then, I want to live my life, and I'd prefer to do that without you."

Maddy watched as hurt flashed through Rhydian's eyes, and she really hoped he hadn't taken her declaration personally. It wasn't that she had anything against him, it would have been the same no matter who she was betrothed to. In fact, Rhydian seemed like a decent bloke, which is why he deserved the truth.

"Maddy," Rhydian said, with a pleading look in his eyes. "I understand that's what you want, but I promise you that I'll stay out of your life if I stay here. I want try to take you away from your friends, or even stop you if you want to...date other guys."

"That's very kind of you," Maddy replied, "but you're just not understanding us. Having you here, would just be like having a constant reminder of the future. Every time I saw you, I would be reminded that I'm not free. It would be torture."

"Torture," Rhydian breathed, a pained look on his face. "Is that how you really feel?"

Maddy hesitated for a moment, but only just a moment before responding. "Yes."

"If you really want me gone then, I'll go!" Rhysian spat harshly, all of his previous gentleness quickly fading. "I'll be off your lands by the end of the day."

Maddy was confused for a moment about the switch of his demeanor. A moment ago he had seemed so understanding, almost caring, but now rage filled his eyes. It sparked her own anger, which overwhelmed any sympathy she had felt for telling him to leave.

"I hope you are," she replied. "I don't need an uncontrollable wolfblood ruining my life."

"Fine then!" Rhydian yelled as he turned to leave. "I know when I'm not wanted. I was only here to get to know you anyway. And if this is how you act, then I don't think I want to!"

"Good!" Maddy yelled back.

She watched as Rhydian left the clearing, running as fast as he could. She to turned away, heading towards her home, and trying to ignore the horrible feeling that had just formed in her gut.


	5. Chapter 5

_Maddy_

Maddy burst out of the woods, and quickly approached her house, running at full speed. She still couldn't believe what she had just said to Rhydian! Part of her, her inner wolf she suspected, was delighted that she had stood her ground and sent him away. But her conscience poked at her mind, reminding her of the flash of hurt in his blue eyes she had seen, before he ran away.

As Maddy enter her house, she saw that her dad was waiting at the table holding a cup of tea. He didn't look angry, but he had a serious expression on his face that made Maddy hesitate.

"Hello Dad," she said sitting down next to him. "Do I have to ask you what's wrong, or will you just tell us?"

"You know me well, Maddy," her dad smiled at her. "I think it's time that you talked to your mom."

"Dad!" Maddy groaned. "I thought you were on my side!"

"There are no sides," her dad sighed. "Maddy, this isn't a fight. The fight happened long ago, back when you were a new cub. The deal with Alric is already made, and now all we can do is look back on our mistakes."

"But why does she have to act like it doesn't matter?" Maddy asked. "And she just invited Rhydian over with barely a warning. How do you think that made us feel?"

"I agree that if we could do things over, some situations could be handled etter," her dad said. "But now all we can do is try to mend the future. We are still a pack Maddy, whether we're arguing or not. And I think there's still a lot that you and your mom need to talk out."

"I've said what I believe, and she disagrees," Maddy huffed. "There's nothing left to say."

"Please Maddy," her father begged. "Can you just do this for me?"

Maddy finally relented as she looked over at her dad's pleading eyes.

"Fine," she groaned dramatically. "Where is Mam anyway?"

"I believe she's in your room," her dad replied, with a pleased smile on his face.

Maddy trudged to her room, walking slower than normal. When she finally opened her door, she saw her mom sitting, on her bed and cradling a picture frame in her hands.

"What you looking at?" Maddy asked, trying to break the ice as she walked over to her mom.

Her mom said nothing, but held out the frame. Maddy looked down at a photograph of herself at a birthday party, when she was just a few years old. She was smiling widely in the photos, with her front teeth missing, and her face was smeared with cake.

"You were always such a cute little cub," her mom sighed. "You still are."

Maddy sighed, and refrained from once again telling her mom that soon she would be a wolf, and could no longer be referred to as a cub. She didn't want to get into another argument, before she tried to mend things.

"Dad thinks we should talk," Maddy said, not sure how else to start the conversation. "About...everything."

"I don't believe there's anything left to say," her mom said stiffly, and Maddy smiled a little as she remembered that she spoken the same words to her dad just a minute ago.

"I want you to know, that I'm not mad at you," Maddy said carefully. "I mean, I thought I was, but the more I think of it, the more I realize I'm mad at the situation. I think the only person I can really blame is Alric, and he's not here for me to yell at."

"You should be mad at me," her mom sighed. "In fact, you have every right to blame me for this whole situation."

"Mam!" Maddy exclaimed, surprised her normally head strong and stubborn mom was saying such things. "You did everything you could to protect me from Alric. I couldn't imagine growing up in the wild, without you or anyone I love. It would be horrible."

"I'm afraid you don't quite understand, Pet," her mom said, smiling weakly. "I was supposed to protect you, and I failed! Not only because I'm your mom, but also because I'm your alpha. I have no right to lead this pack."

"But you did protect me," Maddy whispered wrapping an arm around her mom's shoulder. "I may not be happy with my future right now, but I am safe. You've never let anyone hurt me. And though I can't say that I completely forgive you just yet, I want you to know that I do love you."

"Thank you Madeline," her mom sad seriously, as she blinked back tears.

Maddy embraced her mom, happy that they had made up. A part of her still blamed her mom for the situation, but she knew that in time, she would be able to completely forgive her. At least now she knew that neither of her parents had set up this arrangement just to restrict her freedom. They were just doing everything they could to keep her from Alric's clutches.

After she finally pulled away from her mom, Maddy frowned. She realized that even though her and her mom had just made up, she would have to tell her that she had sent Rhydian home. The thought of getting into another argument, made Maddy's head hurt.

"Mam," she finally sighed. "There's something else I need to tell you. About Rhydian."

"What is it," her mom asked. "Have you two been getting along okay?"

"Not exactly," Maddy mumbled, looking down at her hands which she was twisting together nervously. "In fact, I kind of made Rhydian leave Stoneybridge."

"You what!" her mom yelled, quickly standing up off the bed.

"I know you invited him here for my sake," Maddy sighed, "but I just don't-"

"No, Maddy, you don't understand," her mom cut her off sharply. "Rhydian can't leave Stoneybridge. He has nowhere else to go."

"Of course he does," Maddy frowned. "He's gone back to his pack. I think he was missing them anyway."

"No that can't be true," her mom muttered. "Are you sure he's left?"

"Well he said he would be gone by tonight," Maddy responded. "But I don't understand. Why can't Rhydian go back to his pack?"

"Rhydian was sent here with strict orders from Alric," her mom admitted.

"But I thought you invited him!" Maddy exclaimed. "And you allowed him onto our territory."

"I did allow him to stay here, but I wasn't the one who made him come in the first place."

Maddy swallowed nervously, as her mind raced. She was almost afraid to ask the question that was burning in her mind, but she couldn't help herself.

"What happens?" she asked quietly. "What happens when you disobey your pack leader?"

"He'll be punished at the very least," her mom stated blatantly. "But knowing Alric and his pack, it could be much worse."

Maddy felt tears come to the brims of her eyes. There was only one thing worse than punishment. Only one fate her mom could be referring to, and that was death.

She couldn't believe what an idiot Rhydian was! Disobeying orders just because she yelled at him. She had to admit, she had been extremely harsh, but if he had just told her that he was here on orders, she would have tried to understand.

"I just don't understand why he would leave," Maddy's mom muttered. "What _exactly_ did you say to him, that made him go?"

"I...I," Maddy stuttered, growing increasingly nervous as she started to realize that this whole thing was her fault. "I told Rhydian that him being here was torture for me."

"Madeline Smith," her mom breathed harshly. "Why on earth would you say such a thing?"

"Because it's true Mam!" Maddy exclaimed. "But I never would have told him to go, if he had just told us the truth! Why didn't he tell us?"

"I betting it's because he's a good lad," her mom sighed. "You told him that his presence was torturing you, Maddy. Of course he was going to leave."

"This is all my fault," Maddy whispered, grabbing her head. "Mam, we have to do something! We have to stop him."

"I agree," her mom nodded. "Alright, you stay here. Your dad and I will take the car and track him down. We'll explain to him that you're sorry."

"I should be the one to tell him," Maddy protested. "I should come with you."

"No Maddy," her mom sighed. "If Rhydian senses you coming, he'll probably think you're trying to chase him off our territory. It will better if we're the ones to talk to him."

Without giving Maddy another chance to protest, she raced out of the room. Only a few minutes later, Maddy heard the familiar sound of a car starting, as her parents drove away from the house.

As soon as they were gone, Maddy shot up off her bed and ran over to her closet. After grabbing a jacket, she quickly left the house, locking the door behind her.

Maybe her mom was right, and Rhydian would try to run away from her, but she felt she needed to be the one to fix things with him. She was the one who caused this whole mess in the first place, and she needed to be the one to fix it.

Maddy's sense weren't strong enough to pick up Rhydian's scent all the way from her house, so she ran through the woods, back to where they had met after school. As soon as she got there, she picked up his trail, and continued following him. She just hoped that he had been moving slowly, so she would have time to catch up.

She ran through the trees, and all around her everything was just blurred to different shades of green. Even though she was on a mission to stop Rhydian, she couldn't help but relish in the freedom of running. The wind blew quickly, turning her cheeks pink, and she ran so fast she felt like she was flying. She couldn't wait until she could do this in wolf form.

Rhydian's trail lead her to a house, which she guessed was his foster parents' home. For a moment she hoped that he was inside, but she realized that his scent continued past the house. He must have just stopped to pick up his things. She just hoped he hadn't left too long ago.

She started to run again, but soon her adrenaline began to fade. She was still running fast for a human, but not as fast as a normal wolfblood would. She stopped to catch her breath, when she heard something or someone walking through the woods.

She slowly crept forward, hoping that it way Rhydian. When she peeked around a tree, she saw that it was indeed him. He was slowly walking through the trees, scowling as he went. He seemed deep in thought, and it didn't look like he had noticed Maddy yet.

Maddy continued to approach him, her steps silent despite the twigs beneath her feet. She knew that her mom was probably right about Rhydian running away from her, so she wouldn't even give him a chance. When she finally got close enough, Maddy launched herself onto his back, tackling him to the ground.

"What the?" Rhydian yelled, as he tried to push her off. He finally managed to see who had attacked him and his eyes widened in surprise. "Maddy? What are you doing here?"

He tried to shove her off him, but Maddy wasn't giving up. They wrestled on the ground, until finally Rhydian gave up.

"I'm here to stop you from leaving," Maddy said. "My parents told me that Alric ordered you to come here. You can't go back!"

"Well I can't stay here," Rhydian huffed. "You've made that perfectly clear."

"I'm sorry," Maddy sighed. "I take back what I said."

Rhydian looked like he was about to reply, but instead he frowned. "Can you let me off the ground, before we continue this discussion?" he asked.

"Only if you promise not to run away," Maddy replied. "You have to give me a chance to explain."

"Fine," Rhydian snapped, obviously still angry with her. "But I'm not promising that you'll be able to convince you to stay."

Maddy stood up and offered Rhydian her hand, pulling him off the ground. They both brushed off their clothes which were now covered in twigs and dirt.

"Can I explain now?" Maddy asked, and Rhydian nodded. "Okay, if I had known that you didn't have a choice in coming here, I never would have sent you away. Why didn't you tell us?"

"Honestly, from the way you've acted towards me so far, I didn't think it'd make a difference," Rhydian replied, frowning at her.

Maddy sighed. She knew Rhydian was right, but it still hurt that he thought she would be so callous. She would never have told him to go away if she had known he would be facing punishment.

"Well, I do care," Maddy replied. ". And again, I am so sorry. I don't want you to disobey your orders just because of me. We can make this work! You can stay here, you have to."

"But every moment I'm here, I'm hurting you," Rhydian sighed. "Maddy you said it yourself, and I won't do that to you."

"We can make it work," Maddy said again. "I mean, maybe if we just stay out of each other's way, I'll be able to forget about our betrothal."

She knew that what she said was probably a lie, since there was no way she would ever forget, but at the moment, she would do anything to get him to stay.

"You don't understand, Maddy," Rhydian spoke softly. "I'm supposed to be getting to know you. If we spend our time ignoring each other, then I might as well be back with my pack."

He turned to leave, but Maddy leapt forward, grabbing his arm. She wasn't sure what she was going to say next. Probably something she would later regret, but she didn't know what else to do.

"We can be friends then," Maddy said, and Rhydian eyes filled with some hope. "You can come over for dinner, and hang out with me friends at school...on one condition."

"What condition?" Rhydian asked, eyeing her warily.

"You agree to help me try to find a way out of our union," Maddy stated.

"Maddy," Rhydian growled, rolling his eyes at her. "I know you don't believe me, but I've told you this before. I spent loads of time looking for a way out of it, and there's nothing! Your parents have been looking for the last fourteen years. Don't you think if there was a loophole, we would have already found it?"

"I don't know," Maddy scowled. "But I have to try. I can't just sit here and accept our fate. That's not who I am."

Rhydian still look upset, but Maddy also saw a look of admiration on his face. She hoped that meant that he would actually consider her deal.

"Alright, I'll do it," he finally said. "But I promise you, we won't find anything."

"We'll see about that," Maddy sniffed, as she stuck her nose in the air proudly.

She started to walk away, leaving Rhydian in the woods, but she soon found that he was following her. She thought maybe he was just walking in the direction of his foster home, but it seemed he had other ideas.

"What are you doing?" Maddy asked, as he continued to follow her. "I said we could be friends, not that you could trail behind me like a lost cub."

"Oh, but in our agreement, I believe you said I could come over for dinner," Rhydian smirked. "And you still need to make up for dinner last Friday."

"But...my mam and dad," Maddy said, trying to think of an excuse, "they don't know your coming. They haven't prepared you any food."

"If it's really that much of a problem, then I won't stay for dinner," Rhydian said. "But I should apologize for storming out the other day."

Maddy sighed, realizing nothing she said would convince Rhydian to just return home. She trudged through the forest in silence, scowling as she went.

When they finally arrived at her house, Maddy saw that her parent's car was already parked there. That meant that they had come from their search, and had found her missing.

"Oh no," Maddy groaned, knowing she would once again be in trouble.

"What's happened?" Rhydian asked, looking at her with concern.

"My parents were out looking for you," Maddy sighed. "They had told us to wait here."

"They came looking for me?" Rhydian asked, with a surprised look on his face. A small smile formed on his lips, and he seemed like he couldn't believe what she had said.

"That's not the problem," Maddy replied. "The problem is that I left without permission."

"That's right you did, young lady," Maddy's mom, said as she stormed out the front door, along with Maddy's dad. "And you had us worried sick."

"Emma," Maddy's dad said to her mom. "Go easy on her. We did know where she went, even if she wasn't allowed to go there."

"That's no excuse," her mom replied. "And you didn't even call when you found Rhydian!"

Maddy was about to try and defend herself, when Rhydian stepped forward.

"Mr. and Mrs. Smith, this is really my fault, not Maddy's," he said. "If I hadn't of run away, she wouldn't have come after me. She was just trying to help."

Maddy looked at him, utterly shocked. Not only had he quickly forgiven her for what she had done, but now he was defending her! She couldn't believe she had been so hard on him before.

"Thank you Rhydian," Maddy spoke, smiling at him with surprise. "But I was the one who made you leave, and I chose to come after you. It was my decision."

"But Maddy," Rhydian sighed, turning to look at her. "You shouldn't get in trouble for trying to save me. Who knows what would have happened if I had returned back to Alric."

"Exactly!" Maddy exclaimed. "And if something bad had happened it would be all my fault. Just promise me that if I get mad at you again, which I probably will, you won't go running off again?"

"I'm not sure I can do that Maddy," Rhydian frowned. "Running away...it's what I do best."

"Please Rhydian?" Maddy asked, looking up at him with her brown eyes wide.

"Alright," he sighed. "I'm not promising, but I'll try."

Maddy's mom cleared her throat, and both Maddy and Rhydian glanced back over at her parents. Emma and Dan were smirking at the two teens, which caused Maddy to blush.

"Well," Maddy's dad said. "I think that as long as you promise not to run off again, we can put this whole thing behind us."

"I agree," her mom commented. "And I'm glad to see you two are getting along better. _A lot_ better it seems."

"Mam!" Maddy cried, her cheeks turning red. "I'm just being nice."

"Of course, Pet," her mom smiled, and winked at her. "Now, will you being staying for dinner Rhydian?"

"Yes please," Rhydian grinned. "I haven't had any meat since the last time I was here."

Maddy laughed, as they walked into the house. For the first time she started to think, maybe having another wolfblood around wouldn't be so bad after all.

 **A/N: Thank you to everyone who is reading this story! I just wanted to let you know, I won't be posting a chapter this Friday because I'm having surgery. I will try to get another one up a week from today.**


	6. Chapter 6

_Maddy_

The next morning, Maddy was almost excited to go to school. Not only did she not have to dread seeing Rhydian, but he had agreed to help her start her research the next day after school. Her parents had tons of wolfblood books in their den, and Maddy knew there just had to be something they had missed.

When she arrived at school, she hadn't seen Shannon or Tom in their normal meeting place, but she assumed that they had just already went to class. Instead she spotted Rhydian walking alone, and she went over to talk to him.

"Hi," she said, as she fell into step beside him. "So, you're still coming over tonight, yeah?"

"Do you really think I would have changed my mind in the last twelve hours?" Rhydian asked, rolling his eyes at her. "Of course I'm coming."

"I was just checking," Maddy replied, and then a thought struck her. "Oh, I almost forgot! The full moon is next Monday, and my parents wanted to know if you'd be heading back to your pack?"

"No, I wasn't planning on it," Rhydian shrugged. "I figured I'd just stay here. It seems like spending the full moon on the moors would be fun."

"On the moors?" Maddy questioned. "Rhydian, you do know that my parents never wolf out in public, don't ya?"

"Well, I know your parents don't approve of just running around in wolf form," Rhydian frowned. "But I didn't think that went for full moons to."

"Our pack hasn't been sighted by humans in hundreds of years," Maddy said proudly. "We spend full moons in the den."

"That room in your cellar?" Rhydian asked. "That sounds horrible."

"Mam says it has everything a wolf could ever want," Maddy defended.

"Yeah except freedom," Rhydian implored. "You don't understand it yet, because you haven't had your first transformation. The moon...it's pull is so strong. It makes you just want to run free."

"Look, I'm not saying that you have to come with us," Maddy sighed. "But it's my first transformation, and I want to spend it with me parents."

They walked in silence as Rhydian seemed to be contemplating what to say. Maddy wasn't sure how she wanted him to respond. Some part of her, a very small part, thought it would be nice if Rhydian spent the full moon with her. It'd be cool to have someone, other than her parents, to share it with.

"Alright," Rhydian finally sighed. "I'll join you and your parents in the den. That is, if you want me there?"

"Uh, yeah," Maddy mumbled. "Of course."

She couldn't stop the small smile, that formed on her face, after he had agreed.

They entered Mr. Jeffries's classroom, and Maddy saw that Shannon and Tom were already in their seats, just as she suspected. Her and Rhydian took the desk behind them.

"Morning," Maddy said to her mates, after she'd been seated, but they didn't reply. "Shannon? Tom? How are you guys?" They still said nothing and Maddy frowned. "Oye, can you hear me? I'm trying to talk to you!"

"Oh, so now you want to talk to us," Shannon said sarcastically, as she finally turned to look at Maddy. "Well I'm afraid, we're just not in the mood to talk with you."

"Did I do something wrong?" Maddy asked, trying to rack her brain for why they were mad.

"Burgers at Bernie's last night," Shannon said. "Does that help clear things up for you?"

Maddy groaned, and she felt like slamming her head against the desk. With all of her anxiety over Rhydian leaving, she had completely forgot that she had promised to meet her friends. She knew they had every right to be mad at her.

"I'm so sorry," Maddy apologized. "Why didn't you call me when I didn't show up?"

"I did want to call you," Tom interjected. "But Shan wanted to conduct an 'experiment.'"

"What sort of experiment?" Maddy questioned.

"I just wanted to see if you would eventually remember on your own," Shannon shrugged. "And the results showed that you obviously cared more about something else. Apparently, it wasn't that important to you."

"I'm sorry," Maddy said again. "Something came up…"

Maddy glanced over at Rhydian, who had been listening to the whole conversation. She wasn't sure whether she should tell them that she was with Rhydian or not. She knew that Shannon already felt that Rhydian was getting in the way of their friendship.

"You were with him, weren't you?" Shannon asked, staring at Rhydian. "That's why you forgot."

"Shan," Maddy started to say, but she was cut off.

"Don't 'Shan' me Maddy Smith! You told me he wasn't getting in the way of our friendship, yet that's obviously not true," Shannon accused.

Maddy half hoped that Rhydian would step up like he had the night before, and take the blame. But instead he was just looking back and forth between her and Shannon, with an almost amused expression. Maddy growled at him when she noticed, but Rhydian just smirked. She couldn't figure why he found this amusing!

"Shan," Maddy sighed. "I honestly don't know what to say. You see, Rhydian's a part of my life now, and he really needed my help with something. I'm sorry for forgetting, but I hope you can accept Rhydian as my friend...and maybe as yours too?"

Rhydian looked surprised at Maddy's words, and Maddy had to admit, she was a bit shocked herself. She wasn't sure when she had started considering Rhydian her friend. Now that he was on her side, helping her to find a way to break their betrothal, she didn't see any harm in it. Rhydian had been right, when they had talked yesterday. As long as he was here, they should try to get to know each other.

"All right," Shannon finally said. "I'll forgive both you _and_ Rhydian. If, you promise to come help me hunt my beast this Friday."

"We'll help you," Maddy responded. "Won't we, Rhydian?"

"Yeah sure," Rhydian replied, not knowing exactly what he was getting into.

Maddy was sure that if Rhydian had realized what Friday night would entail, he would have never agreed without further persuasion. It would be hours of wandering around the forest, desperately trying to keep warm, and all for nothing. Because the beast that Shannon would be looking for would be right beside her.

The school bell rang, signaling the start of the day, and Shannon and Tom both turned so they were facing the front of the classroom. Soon, Mr. Jeffries walked into the class, with a big smile on his face.

"Good morning class," he smiled, seeming much happier than usual. "I have some very exciting news."

"Have you finally decided to replace the school uniforms sir?" Kay asked, and Maddy rolled her eyes.

"Oh, I think they should be pink!" Katrina added. "With glitter!"

"What a surprise," Rhydian whispered sarcastically, and Maddy had to cover her mouth to hide her snicker.

"No," Mr. Jeffries frowned at Kay and Katrina. "We are not getting new uniforms."

"Well you really should consider it," Kara spoke up, agreeing with her friends. "The ones that we currently have are quite atrocious."

"That's enough," Mr. Jeffries sighed. "Now as I was saying, we have some exciting news. On Monday, we will be taking a field trip to Lindisfarne Island."

Excited whispers broke out amongst the class at the mention of a field trip, but Maddy frowned. Monday was the night of the full moon, and she wasn't sure if her parents would allow her to go.

"I have the permission slips here," Mr. Jeffries said, waving a stack of papers. "So make sure you get them signed by this Friday, or you won't be allowed to go."

"Do you think it'd be safe for us to go?" Maddy whispered to Rhydian, as Mr. Jeffries began to pass out the slips.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Rhydian asked. "If anything, it will be safer than you being in school. The day before my first transformation, I couldn't stand being in a classroom."

"You were still at school for your first transformation?" Maddy asked. "But what about you pack?"

"My mom didn't find me till after I transformed," Rhydian explained. "But I already told you this. Remember? When your parents asked me all those questions at our first dinner?"

"I was a little busy glaring at you," Maddy blushed.

"Yeah, I noticed that," Rhydian smirked, with a teasing grin. "At first I just thought your face was frozen in an external scowl."

Maddy lightly smacked his arm in offense, but it just made Rhydian's smile grow bigger.

"I guess you'll just have to explain your life story to me again," Maddy sighed.

At this, Rhydian's smile fell from his face, and he lowered his gaze towards the floor.

"Trust me," he muttered. "It's not that exciting."

Maddy wanted to ask him what was wrong, but she also didn't want to pressure him for details. She realized that his life before the pack must have been a sensitive subject for him. Maddy knew he was in foster care now, but she wondered if he had always been. She really wished she had listened at dinner on Friday.

 _Rhydian_

Rhydian ran through the woods, knowing Maddy was hot on his tail. He had to admit, for a cub, she was pretty fast. And he knew that the full moon in five days, would just make her even stronger.

Even though Rhydian knew he would know be forced to endure the full moon locked in a cellar, he was still ecstatic. He was quite excited to see Maddy go through her transformation, and through the same emotions that he had experienced. Fear, anxiety, but most importantly, excitement. And he wondered if her wolf would have the same color fur as her chocolaty, dark hair…. Not that he had any fascination with her hair or anything, he was just curious!

He heard Maddy closing in behind him, and he purposely slowed down so that she could catch up. Then, she sprung from behind him, grabbing onto his shoulders and tackling him onto the ground.

"Ha!" she cried as she sat up off the ground. "Not bad for a tame wolfblood, eh?"

"You do know, I slowed down for you, right?" Rhydian questioned, with a smirk on his face.

"You did not!" Maddy cried, punching him on the shoulder. "You're just being a sore loser."

"Whatever you say, Mads," Rhydian laughed.

Both he and Maddy froze, as they both seemed to simultaneously realize what he had called her. Rhydian wasn't sure if he should apologize, or just pretend it didn't happen.

"Sorry," he finally said. "I've just, heard Shannon and Tom call you that before, and it just slipped out."

"It's fine," Maddy shrugged, but Rhydian could tell she didn't truly mean it. "We're friends now, right?"

"Yeah...friends."

Rhydian wasn't really sure how he had felt about that. Before he had joined his wild pack, he had never made any friends. He had always been bouncing from one foster family to another, and just hadn't seen the point in it.

Once he had joined the pack, no one wanted anything to do with him. Other than Jana of course, but she was a different story entirely. But he supposed, that since there didn't seem to be any way that Maddy would be exiting his life anytime soon, it wouldn't be bad to call her his friend. After all, he had been the one to suggest they get to know each other in the first place.

"I think we should get back to the house," Maddy said, breaking Rhydian out of his thoughts. "I want to get started on the research."

"Alright," Rhydian agreed, standing off the ground and brushing his clothes off. "But you do realize that we have school work to do as well?"

"Research is more important," Maddy said firmly. "We can work on school stuff later."

Rhydian sighed, but he knew that starting an argument with her would do him no good. He had already agreed to help her with this, and if he backed out now, Maddy would be furious.

They quickly ran back to her house, and when they went inside, Mr. and Mrs. Smith were sitting at the table. They looked surprised, but happy that Rhydian was there.

"Good to see you again, Rhydian," Mr. Smith said, in greeting. "Here to work on some school work?"

"Actually, he's here to help me research our union," Maddy said. "He's going to help me find a way to get out of it."

Mr. and Mrs. Smith shared a nervous glance, which Rhydian immediacy noticed. He knew he needed to talk to them, and explain some things.

"So Maddy, where were the books you were talking about?" Rhydian asked.

"Oh, they're down in the den," she replied.

"Why don't you go grab them, Pet," Mrs. Smith said. "Your dad and I wanted to talk to Rhydian about the full moon."

"Alright," Maddy happily agreed, before heading down the stairs. She seemed quite excited to get started on her research.

"Rhydian," Mrs. Smith said quietly, as soon as Maddy walked down the stairs. "What on earth are ya doing? We thought you knew!"

"I do know," Rhydian whispered. "But Maddy is going to research a way to get out this union, with or without me. At least if I help her, I can try to keep her from finding out things she shouldn't."

"You do realize what will happen if she finds out?" Mrs. Smith hissed. "I know you don't know Maddy very well, but she's brave. Too brave for her own good."

Rhydian, had of course already noticed this about her. From the way she had first stood up to him, to how she had ran after him when he had tried to leave, he had realized that Maddy Smith had quite a courageous heart.

"I won't let her find out," Rhydian promised. "But it's not a very big secret. If she does the basic research-"

"We've already taken most of the books that contain information on the union out of the den," Mr. Smith sighed. "We hate lying to her, but it's for her own good."

"I know," Rhydian agreed. "I promise, I'll try to protect her."

"Good," Mrs. Smith nodded. "Because if she learns the truth, I don't think there's anything we could do to stop her."

"Lets hope it doesn't come to that," Rhydian muttered.

"Rhydian!" Maddy called, from down in the den. "Are you leaving me to do all the work?"

"Coming Maddy," Rhydian responded.

He left her parents, who still looked anxious, and walked down the stairs. He truthfully hated all the secrets he was keeping from Maddy. He knew that all secrets eventually had a way of getting out, and when they did, he didn't know if he could face her wrath.

"Finally," Maddy grumbled as he walked into the den. "I have no idea what to start with, so here are some books."

She handed him a pile of eight ancient looking books, with brown, stained leather covers. The were quite large, and if it wasn't for his superhuman strength, he was sure he would have buckled under their weight.

"Now, I know you've already done some research," Maddy said. "But I'm thinking that we should just start from the top. I want to learn exactly what the union entails, before we learn how to break it."

"Good idea," Rhydian agreed.

He knew that if he could keep Maddy occupied with the actually ceremony that had bonded them together, it would give him more time to come up with a plan.

"What are you doing?" Maddy asked, as Rhydian went to sit down.

"Um, putting these books down before my arms give out," Rhydian responded.

"Were not reading them down here," Maddy scoffed. "It's to damp and musky. I gave them to you, so you could carry them upstairs."

"How nice of you," Rhydian muttered sarcastically, but he followed Maddy back up the stairs. All he could do was hope that these books wouldn't contain the information she was looking for.


	7. Chapter 7

_Rhydian_

Rhydian tensed and froze where he stood. He was on his way to school on Friday morning, running through the woods, but something wasn't right. He recognized the smell in the air, and the realization made his stomach twist in anxiety. Alric was here.

As much as he wanted to ignore his leader, he knew that if Alric was letting himself be sensed so easily that meant he wanted to talk. And it would be better if Rhydian got the conversation out of the way now, before he ran into Mr. and Mrs. Smith, or even worse, Maddy herself.

So he followed the scent of his alpha, tracking him until he spotted Alric in the woods. He wore a red flannel shirt with a tan vest as usual, and his brown hair was matted and filled with leaves. If that wasn't an indicator that Alric wasn't tame, one could easily tell by the wild look in his eyes.

"Boy," Alric spat, as Rhydian approached. "What news do you have?"

"Nothing really," Rhydian shrugged. "I'm here, I'm spending time with Maddy, and I'm doing everything you asked."

"Good," Alric said sharply, his eyes gazing at Rhydian warily. "You look like one of them again. A _tame_."

"Well, I have to fit in," Rhydian defended. "What did you expect when you sent me back to the human world?"

Alric growled at Rhydian, and Rhydian backed up slightly.

"The pack grows more restless each day," Alric frowned. "Their ideas are spreading like poison. There is even talk of getting other packs involve."

"Well, control them!" Rhydian cried. "You're the alpha, why don't you do your job for once-"

Rhydian was cut off, as Alric grabbed him by the neck and shoved him into a tree. Rhydian clawed at his throat, trying to pull of Alric's hands off, but he knew it was no use.

"Do not speak to me like I am your equal," Alric hissed. "I am your alpha! Your leader!"

He finally released his hand, and Rhydian gasped for air. He brought his hand up to his neck, rubbing it gently.

"How's Jana?" Rhydian asked, trying to bring up something that Alric wouldn't get mad about.

"She's is still angry," Alric replied, his face softening considerably. "And she misses you for some reason."

"Tell her I miss her as well," Rhydian replied. "And my mom and brother. I'm assuming you'll be going back now that you've checked up on me."

"You assume wrong," Alric hissed. "I've come for the girl as well. I need her now."

"You told me I would have more time," Rhydian scowled, and his breathing sped up as he grew more anxious. "That I could get her used to the idea first. We're barely friends at the moment."

"And who's fault is that?" Alric sneered. "You asked me not to force her into anything and I agreed. But I need the girl to start visiting the pack, if you expect your plan to work."

"She has a name!" Rhydian growled. "Her name is Maddy, and you can't just ask me to make her drop everything for our pack."

"She'll be a part of our pack soon enough," Alric huffed.

"But not yet," Rhydian insisted. "Not for three more years."

"I've explained to you before, what I'll do if this doesn't work, haven't I?" Alric asked, in a low and dangerous voice. "I will not let the pack turn against me. I will stand by them, no matter what it costs me."

Rhydian felt his stomach clench again, and he knew what Alric meant.

"I'll bring it up with her today," Rhydian sighed. "But it might take me a while to convince her. How long do I have?"

"I'll expect you in two weeks," Alric grinned. "If not, I'll return...and I won't be alone."

 _Maddy_

Maddy sighed as she looked out the window of her family's car. She felt absolutely awful today. Her teeth, her gums, her ears, and her head were a throbbing with pain. She hadn't even been in the mood to run this morning, which is why her mom was driving her to school. Her dad had told her that all of her symptoms had to do with her upcoming transformation, but she just didn't understand it. If turning into a wolf was supposed to make her stronger, then why did she feel so awful?

"Are you sure you want to do this, Pet?" Maddy's mom asked her, for the fifth time this morning. "I can email Mr. Jeffries and tell him you're sick."

"I'll be fine, Mam," Maddy sighed. "I already told you, I really need to be there for Shannon tonight. If I don't make it to school, then I definitely can't make monster hunting."

"She's still going on about that monster?" Maddy's mom asked. "You're not encouraging it, are you?"

"I have to tell her I believe her!" Maddy exclaimed. "Tom and I, we're the only ones who don't think she's entirely crazy."

"Alright," her mom sighed, as they pulled up at the school. "Just make sure you never give her any evidence. Can you imagine what would happen if she found out the truth?"

Maddy shuddered at the thought. Shannon would become even more obsessed if she found out about wolfbloods. Not to mention the extensive research she'd want to conduct.

"I won't tell her," Maddy sighed. "Goodbye."

She hopped out of the car, and instantly winced at the throb that jolted through her body. Spending the night out on the moors was starting to look worse and worse. As she walked towards school, she immediately spotted Rhydian waiting for her. He had a nervous expression on his face, as he hurried over to her.

"Maddy, I really need to tell you something," he said, and Maddy winced in pain.

"Not so loud!" she exclaimed. "You're making me head hurt even worse."

"Are you sick?" Rhydian asked frowning. "I didn't realize it was possible to be sick before a full moon."

"It's my jaw and my head that hurt the worst," Maddy sighed.

"Oh," Rhydian nodded, in recognition. "It's just the stress of your first transformation. I remember how awful it was for me. But the best way to get rid of it is to run."

"I don't think I can even walk, much less run," Maddy groaned. "Anyway, what were you going to ask me?"

"Okay, so hear me out," Rhydian started, and Maddy immediately became anxious. No good news ever came when a sentence started like that. "I know we've decided to be friends, and I'm actually really happy about that. And I'm not trying to pressure you into something more. I just wanted to know if maybe, only if you wanted to, you'd like to meet my mom and my pack?"

Maddy was utterly startled by his proposition. They had just started getting along, and now he wanted her to meet his pack? It wasn't that she had anything against the idea, it was just a bit strange and sudden.

"Why would I need to be meeting your pack?" Maddy asked. "I mean, we're researching a way to get out of this betrothal for a reason."

"Yeah, I know," Rhydian replied. "But in the meantime, I thought maybe you and the pack could start to build trust between each other. That way, even if we're not getting married, there wouldn't be bad blood between our packs."

"So this is more about your plan create bonds between tame and wild wolfbloods, then introducing me to your family?" Maddy questioned, and Rhydian nodded. "All right then. I really don't see any harm in that."

"Really?" Rhydian asked, smiling at her.

"Yeah," Maddy smiled back. "And while we're there, we can ask if any of your pack members know how to break our union!"

Rhydian's smile feel from his face, and instead he wore a look of worry and fear. He was quiet for a moment, as if contemplating what to say, until he finally sighed.

"Maddy, you can't talk to any member of the pack about breaking the union," he started. "Alric is the one who formed it in the first place, and he wants it to be kept. Think of what will happen if he finds out your plans."

"Alric promised to leave my parents and Stoneybridge alone, if my parents agreed to this union," Maddy huffed. "They've agreed, so now he can't touch us. I don't think they ever promised not to break the union later."

"You don't know Alric," Rhydian said gravely. "He won't see it the same way you do. He won't listen to your reasons! Alric is a wild wolfblood, and an alpha. It's too dangerous to risk it."

"But you told me that you did research of your own," Maddy accused him. "Was he okay with that?"

"He only allowed it because he knew I wouldn't find anything," Rhydian sighed, his temper flaring. "Maddy, can't you just trust me on this? My pack won't hold the answers you're looking for."

"Fine," Maddy finally relented, when she saw the desperate look on Rhydian's face. "But don't think this means I'm giving up! We still have a lot more books to read through."

"Of course not," Rhydian smiled in relief. "Because we couldn't use our time for important things, like studying."

"This research is important," Maddy growls, playfully shoving Rhydian's shoulder. "Owe!"

Now even her wrists and ankles hurt. She really was starting to hate her first transformation.

"Are you sure you should be going out tonight?" Rhydian asked. "We could ask Shannon to wait until next week, once your transformation is over."

"I've already explain this to my parents," Maddy sighed. "There's no way I'm letting Shan down. Not after the way I've acted so far this week."

"Alright," Rhydian relented. "And I am sorry, for not helping you mend things with your mates yesterday."

"Oh, I noticed you looked really sorry," Maddy scoffed sarcastically. "That's why you looked so amused."

"I wasn't laughed because they were mad at you," Rhydian said, trying not to smile. "I was laughing at the feelings that Tom was giving off."

"What are you on about?" Maddy asked. "You can scent feelings?"

"Not exactly," Rhydian replied, surprised that Maddy didn't know. "I guess it must be a wild thing, but people give off different scents when they feel different emotions. Yesterday, Tom was feeling jealous."

"Jealous?" Maddy asked, frowning. "Because he thought that I was becoming better friends with you then him, right?"

"Something like that," Rhydian smirked, smiling to himself.

Maddy contemplated whether she should ask, the question that was burning in her mind. She didn't want Rhydian to think that she wanted to spend even more time with him, but she was interested in how his senses were more attuned than hers.

"Do you think you could teach me?" she finally asked. "To sense emotions like you do?"

"I don't know," Rhydian teased. "It might take away from our research.

"Rhydian..." Maddy growled, but he just smiled at her.

"Of course I'll teach you," Rhydian said. "I think we should wait until after the full moon though."

"I agree," Maddy replied, and she grabbed her head. "Ugh! Why won't everything stop hurting!"

The school day went by extremely slowly for Maddy, and though Rhydian tried to comfort her, nothing seemed to help. Every click of a pen, or turn of a paper, had her senses on high alert. It was driving her crazy!

Tom seemed to notice her behavior, but he didn't try to press Maddy about what was wrong. Shannon on the other hand, seemed completely oblivious to Maddy's discomfort. She went on and on about her plans for the night, and how she finally planned to catch the beast.

By the time school was over, Maddy was completely ready to just go home and crash on her bed. She knew, however, that she wouldn't be getting sleep for a while longer.

"So," Shannon said, as the four of them exited the school building. "Do you guys need to go home and get your supplies, or are you going to come over right now?"

"I need to get my boots and change out of my uniform," Maddy replied. "The boys should to."

"What exactly do we need to wear?" Rhydian asked. "Aren't we just hanging out in the woods?"

"Having out in the woods!" Shannon cried.

"Calm down, Shan," Maddy said, trying to contain her laughter. "Rhydian doesn't know how important this is to you."

"Well he should!" Shannon exclaimed. "Rhydian, this is my mission in life! To catch this beast, and prove to the world that I'm not crazy. And tonight, is going to be the night that I get proof!"

"She says that every time," Tom muttered under his breath, and Shannon glared at him.

"I do not," she defended. "And I just have a feeling that tonight's special."

After Shannon had detailed exactly what the boys should bring, they all went their separate ways. Maddy had told Rhydian that she would meet him at his house after she had collected her things, so that she could show him the way to Shannon's. She knew he could probably find it himself, since his senses seemed to be so attuned, but she wouldn't mind walking with him.

When she had gotten home, her mom had given her a wolfblood potion which would hopefully help her pre-transformation pains. It smelled horrible, but it was better than nothing.

Maddy's dad dropped her off at Rhydian's current home, where he was living with his foster parents. She saw that Rhydian wasn't outside yet, so she went to knock on the door.

"Hello?" a woman with curly black hair asked, as she opened the door. "Can I help you?"

"Oh, I'm Maddy," Maddy replied. "I'm here for Rhydian."

"Maddy...as in Maddy Smith," the women asked, and Maddy nodded. "Oh, I've heard so much about you."

"Rhydian's mentioned me?" Maddy asked, as she felt her face go red.

Her mind was whirling, as she wondered what he would have said. With the way she had acted towards him at first, she doubted that he had many good things to say. Yet this woman seemed completely pleased to see her.

"Yes, you're one of the only friends he's talked about," the woman said with a slight frown. "Oh how rude of me! I Mrs. Vaughan. Won't you come in?"

Maddy thanked her and walked inside the house. It wasn't a very large home, but it seemed cozy and well put together.

"Is Rhydian here?" Maddy asked.

"He's up in his room," Mrs. Vaughan. "Would you like to go grab him?"

"Sure," Maddy smiled.

"It's just up the stairs. First door on the left."

Maddy followed, Mrs. Vaughan's directions, and when she got to the door she knocked three times. She heard Rhydian yell that it was okay to enter, so she pushed the door open.

"Maddy," Rhydian sputtered, looking surprised. "I don't realize you were here already."

Maddy ignored his comment, as her focus were trained on the dozens of drawing in his room. They were amazing, posted all over the walls and mostly without color. Maddy walked right past Rhydian, and went to look closer.

"I didn't know you could draw," Maddy said, as she turned back to him. "These are amazing."

"They're kind of private," Rhydian replied nervously. "I actually didn't realize you were going to come in so…"

"Oh! I'm sorry," Maddy immediately said, realizing she had invaded his privacy. "I don't realize. I can go wait for you downstairs, if you'd prefer."

"You've already seen them," Rhydian shrugged. "So I guess it really doesn't matter now."

There was an awkward silence between them, and despite what her said, Maddy wasn't sure if she could stay or go. She could see that she'd made him uncomfortable, and she could tell why. Some of the drawings seemed quite personal. Like the one the child in a shadowy corner, with two lone figures standing in the background.

"The wolves," Maddy finally said, shattering the silence.

"What?" Rhydian asked her, confused by what she meant.

"I like the drawings of the wolves Maddy clarified. "They're very good. Very realistic."

"Thanks," Rhydian said, smiling. "A lot of them our of my pack. Like this one."

He pointed to a drawing and Maddy went over to look at it. However, the drawing posted next to it was what really caught her attention. It was of a girl, who looked to be around the same age as her, and a wolf.

"Who's this?" Maddy asked, hoping that she wouldn't offend Rhydian with her question.

"Oh, that's one's my friend Jana. In her human form and as a wolf," Rhydian replied.

He said it so nonchalantly, yet Maddy couldn't ignore the twisting sensation in her stomach.

"I thought you didn't have friends," Maddy said stiffly.

"Well I have you, don't I?" he replied.

Somehow his response only made her feel worse.

Rhydian finished collecting his things and they made their way downstairs. Mrs. Vaughan was doing dishes, but looked up at them and smiled.

"Did you find everything you need?" she asked.

"I think so," Rhydian replied, in a cool tone.

"Do you need any snack or anything?" she asked. "I could whip something up quickly-"

"Really, Mrs. Vaughan," Rhydian said sharply, "I'm fine."

"Alright," she frowned. "But if you need anything, be sure to call me. And it was nice meeting you Maddy."

"You too," Maddy replied politely, before they walked out the door.

Maddy was slightly surprised with the way Rhydian had spoken to his foster mom. It wasn't that he had seemed mad or angry, just reserved. She wondered if she could figure out why, without upsetting him.

"So," Maddy started, as they walked towards Shannon's house. "Your foster mom seems nice."

"She's alright," Rhydian shrugged, seeming not to care.

"Do you think you'll keep in contact with her?" Maddy asked. "I mean, once you return to the wild."

"No," he scoffed. "Maddy do you know anything about the foster care system?"

"Not really," Maddy frowned. "I know how it's supposed to work."

Rhydian gave her a wry smile. "The longest I've lasted in a single foster home is six months," he explained. "Maybe I'll last longer, now that I know more about how to control my wolf, but I doubt I'll stay with the Vaughans long."

"But…" Maddy wasn't sure exactly what to see. "Mrs. Vaughan seems so nice. Maybe it will be different with her."

"Maybe," Rhydian said quietly, scowling at the ground.

Maddy hesitated for only a second before she reached out and grabbed Rhydian's hand. Rhydian stopped walking, and looked down at their intertwined fingers in surprise.

"I'm really sorry that you had to go through those things when you were younger," Maddy said honestly. "I really wish I could have helped."

"It's alright, Maddy," Rhydian replied still looked at their hands. "Really it's fine."

Maddy finally seemed to notice the direction of Rhydian's gaze, and she pulled back her hand and blushed. They started walking again, in awkward silence, neither one of them daring to glance at the other.

They both felt relief when Shannon's house came into view, and when they got to the front door, Shannon opened it right away.

"There you two are!" Shannon exclaimed, pulling them inside. "Tom's almost done cooking the burgers, and we need to get going."

"There's burgers?" Rhydian asked, as his eyes lit up with excitement.

"Yes, but not for you," Shannon replied, causing Rhydian to frown. "We will being using them as bait for the beast."

"Is that Rhydian I hear?" Tom called from the kitchen.

"Yes, and Maddy too," Shannon responded.

A few seconds later, Tom had left his post in the kitchen and hurried over to where they were standing. He frowned at Rhydian and Maddy who were standing next to each other.

"You arrived together?" Tom asked.

"Yeah, we walked together from Rhydian's house," Maddy said, oblivious to the way Tom's frown deepened. "So when will the burgers get done?"

"Any minute now," Shannon answered, trying to relive some of the tension in the room. "Everyone get dressed. We have a beast to find!"


End file.
